Kirk Douglas Risks Life on Movie Stunt (article) by Paul Kyriazi on AuthorsDen

Vikings walking the oars of the ship was a real custom that had not been done since the time of the Vikings. Director Richard Fleischer wanted to re-create that custom for the Kirk Douglas production of The Vikings. Three replica Viking ships were made from the measurements of a real Viking ship at a Norway museum.

Kirk Douglas, also starring in the movie, was sitting with Fleischer on the shore watching the filming of the walking of the oars. Kirk said to Fleischer, “Can you get a camera close enough to see that it’s really me walking the oars?”

“Well, yes Kirk, I could, but you’re not scripted to do that.”

“But I can walk those oars.”

“Kirk, those stuntmen have been practicing for weeks and it’s very difficult.” As Fleischer spoke, one of the stuntmen fell off the oars and into the water. “If you fall into the water with your heavy costume, it could be a problem.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dick. Set up the camera. I’m gonna get into costume.”

Fleischer said, “I set up the camera and Kirk walked the oars like he’d been doing it all his life.”

Kirk Douglas said, “The trick of walking the oars is to always keep moving forward without hesitation.”

Fleischer said, “One of the oars broke under Kirk’s weight and he fell into the water. He swam over to me and asked, ‘Did you get it?’ I said, ‘Yes, we got it?’ And he swam back to the ship in his heavy costume to do another take. I was not only impressed with Kirk's physical prowess, but with his unbounded, boyish, enthusiasm for movie-making. He was more concerned with getting a good shot than with his own personal comfort, safety or anything else."

In the movie, you’ll see Kirk walking the oars three times. Video of that scene is above.

Reviewed by m j hollingshead

Reviewed on August 13, 2019

never stop writing

m

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on August 5, 2019

Really shows Kirk Douglas's physical ability that showed up in many of his movies. I read a letter that he wrote last year when he was 100 about being an immigrant and what it meant to him that was published in the New York Times. I hope that Donald Trump read that letter. It was a lesson in humanity.

I have been watching the TV series, The Vikings on the History Channel, and find it to be quite historically correct, except there's no depiction of the practice of oar walking.

I found this interesting video covering his life through 101, in spite of having a serious stroke that he has valiantly recovered from. Quite an actor and a man. Interesting to see Kirk paired with Johnny Cash twice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7mU7KR935M

Ron